Simple and rapid high-pressure liquid chromatographic determination of papaverine in plasma.

A rapid and sensitive high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay is described for the quantification of papaverine in plasma. A paired-ion, reversed-phase system was employed with detection at 254 nm. This procedure yielded reproducible results with a sensitivity of 2 ng/ml. Total extraction and quantification time was less than 1 hr. The suitability of this procedure for plasma sample analysis from a bioavailability study was demonstrated.